Already today global warming is having an impact on companies, workers and communities in countries where a majority of global production currently takes place. In particular, heat stress is increasing. But while brands, buyers and manufacturers set targets to reduce their emissions, do they understand the impacts of heat stress on workers today and will they take sufficient action as this problem continues to grow? Are they also aware of the business risks they are facing if they fail to invest in climate adaptation in their supply chains? In 2023, the Cornell ILR Global Labor Institute, in collaboration with Schroders, conducted an analysis called Higher Ground, assessing the economic damage that extreme heat and intense flooding can cause for fashion production. They modeled 2030 and 2050 impacts for brands and retailers, manufacturers and workers, governments and investors. In 2024 they followed up with an additional analysis, Hot Air, evaluating whether high heat and high humidity are accelerating faster than their climate models initially projected. Michael speaks with Jason Judd, Executive Director of the ILR Global Labor Institute, about what this new analysis tells us, whether companies and industry stakeholders are listening, and what he wants to see happen in the coming year to ensure the industry takes heat stress very seriously.
Heat stress has been accelerating. That means our original projections may actually underestimate the damage unless there are interventions.
Technically, solving this isn’t hard. These firms are sophisticated - they can track factory-level data and police heat thresholds. The real issue is political.
